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Saddam Hussein’s Ba�th PartyInside an Authoritarian Regime
The Ba�th Party came to power in 1968 and remained for
thirty-fiveyears until the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Under the
leadership of SaddamHussein, who became president of Iraq in 1979,
a powerful authori-tarian regime was created based on a system of
violence and an extra-ordinary surveillance network, as well as
rewards and incentives forsupporters of the regime. The true
horrors of this regime have beenexposed for the first time through
a massive archive of governmentdocuments captured by the United
States after the fall of SaddamHussein. It is these documents that
form the basis of this extra-ordinarily revealing book and that
have been translated and analyzedby Joseph Sassoon, an Iraqi-born
scholar and seasoned commentatoron the Middle East. What they
uncover are the secrets of the innermostworkings of Saddam
Hussein’s Revolutionary Command Council, howthe party was
structured, how it operated via its network of informers,and how
the system of rewards functioned. Saddam Hussein’s authoritywas
dominant. His decision was final, whether arbitrating the
promo-tion of a junior official or the death of a rival or a member
of hisfamily. As this gripping portrayal of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq
demon-strates, the regime was every bit as authoritarian and brutal
as Stalin’sSoviet Union, Mao’s China, and Qadhafi’s Libya.
Joseph Sassoon is Adjunct Professor at the Center for
ContemporaryArabic Studies at Georgetown University and Senior
Associate Memberat St Antony’s College, Oxford. He is the author of
several books,including Economic Policy in Iraq, 1932–1950 (1987)
and The IraqiRefugees: The New Crisis in the Middle East
(2009).
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Saddam Hussein’s Ba�th Party
Inside an Authoritarian Regime
JOSEPH SASSOON
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cambridge university pressCambridge, New York, Melbourne,
Madrid, Cape Town,
Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City
Cambridge University Press32 Avenue of the Americas, New York,
ny 10013-2473, usa
www.cambridge.orgInformation on this title:
www.cambridge.org/9780521149150
C© Joseph Sassoon 2012
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory
exceptionand to the provisions of relevant collective licensing
agreements,no reproduction of any part may take place without the
written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2012
Printed in the United States of America
A catalog record for this publication is available from the
British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data
Sassoon, Joseph.Saddam Hussein’s Ba�th Party : inside an
authoritarian regime / Joseph Sassoon.
p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-521-19301-6 (hardback) – isbn 978-0-521-14915-0
(paperback)1. Hizb al-Ba�th al-�Arabi al-Ishtiraki (Iraq) 2. Iraq –
Politics and
government – 1979–1991. 3. Iraq – Politics and government –
1921–2003.4. Hussein, Saddam, 1937–2006. I. Title
jq1849.a98b378 2011324.2567′083–dc23 2011025076
isbn 978-0-521-19301-6 Hardbackisbn 978-0-521-14915-0
Paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the
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Web sites referred to in this publication and does notguarantee
that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or
appropriate.
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To Helen
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Contents
List of Figures and Tables page ix
Acknowledgments xi
Note on Transliteration xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Glossary xvii
Map xxi
Introduction 1
1 The Rise of the Ba�th Party 162 Party Structure and
Organization 34
The Party Structure 34The Party’s Functions 38Party Discipline
42Membership and Recruitment 45Age and Gender in the Ba�th Party
53Life of a Member 57Party Political Education 61
3 The Ba�th Party Branches 71Tasks of Branches 72Competition
among Branches 87Life of a Party Unit 90
4 Security Organizations during the Ba�th Era 95Jihaz al-amn
al-khass (the Special Security Organization
[SSO]) 98Gathering Information 112Informers 122
vii
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viii Contents
5 The Ba�th Party and the Army 129Al-makatib al-�askariyya
(Military Bureaus) 130Military Colleges and Ba�thification
133Saddam Hussein as a Military Leader 137Rewards and Punishment
139Surveillance and Monitoring 143Special Armies 145Deserters,
Prisoners of War, and Martyrs 152The 2003 Invasion 159
6 The Personality Cult of Saddam Hussein 162Saddam Hussein: The
Man and the Leader 162Building the Personality Cult 175The Role of
the Party 186
7 Control and Resistance 193Fear and Violence 193Control
201Medals and Rewards 206Punishments 216Resistance 221
8 Bureaucracy and Civil Life under the Ba�th 227Bureaucracy and
Decision Making 227Managing the Economy 236Unions and Professional
Organizations 249The Ba�th Party and Women 253The Ba�th Party and
Religion 259Children, Youth, and Students under the Ba�th Party
268Conclusion 275
Appendix I: Chart of the Structure of the Ba�th PartySecretariat
285
Appendix II: Ba�th Party Statistics as of September 2002
286Notes on Sources 287
Bibliography 289
Index 301
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List of Figures and Tables
Figures
1 Structure of the Command of the Iraqi Ba�th Party page 372
Party Membership Hierarchy 463 An Example of a Party File Cover (a,
b) 484 A Typical Organizational Form from a Member’s File (a, b)
585 The Structure of the Special Security Organization (SSO) 1006
One of the Many Commands of the President, Saddam
Hussein 1087 Iraqi Volunteers March during the Jerusalem Day
Parade
in Baghdad, November 20, 2000 1488 Mural of Saddam Hussein in
Baghdad, 1998 1899 “Friends of the President” Identity Card 210
10 Saddam Hussein Dispensing Money, Baghdad, 2000 21211 Picture
of Saddam Hussein Adorning One of His
Philosophical Pronouncements 269
Tables
1 Comparison of Countrywide Membership between 1986and 2002
52
2 Increase in Membership between 1991 and 2002 523 Age Formation
within the Ba�th Party, 1992 544 Clan Affiliation of Senior
Specialists in the Directorate of
Security Affairs, SSO 1065 Changes in Numbers of Party
Affiliates in Military Bureaus
between 1991 and 2002 1326 Membership Statistics for Women in
the Ba�th Party, 2002 257
ix
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Acknowledgments
The idea for this book germinated from a discussion with Dina
Khoury.Once I began the mammoth task of working on the documents,
we hadcountless conversations about deciphering their intricacies
and placingthem in context for the period under study. For this and
her wonderfulfriendship, I owe a debt of gratitude. I also wish to
thank profuselyHassan Mneimneh, a director of the Iraq Memory
Foundation, whoprobably knows more than any other person about
those documentsand was extremely helpful.
Many people gave me valuable advice and read and commented
onsome of the chapters, especially Roger Owen, Eugene Rogan, and
PeterSluglett. I am truly grateful to all of them for helping me
despite theirbusy schedules. Timothy Garton Ash guided me through
the maze ofliterature on the Soviet Union and communist Europe.
Kevin Woods readone chapter and assisted me in navigating my way
through the NationalDefense University (NDU) records. David Palkki
and Joseph Simons atNDU are a dream team for any researcher, and I
thank all these people.
I would also like to acknowledge the staff at the Hoover
Institute whoworked hard to make the archives accessible to
researchers, despite allthe difficulties. I am grateful to Richard
Sousa, director of the library andarchives; Haidar Hadi; and Ahmad
Dhia� for their help, and I appreci-ate the encouragement of Kanan
Makiya, founder of the Iraq MemoryFoundation.
At Georgetown University many of my colleagues at the Center
forContemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) provided advice and support
andpatiently put up with my stream of stories about the regime and
SaddamHussein. In particular, I would like to thank Rochelle Davis
for her advice
xi
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xii Acknowledgments
and friendship. Samer Shehata from CCAS, Bruce Hoffman from the
Cen-ter of Peace and Security Studies, and Elliott Colla from the
departmentof Arabic and Islamic Studies were all sources of
encouragement.
In the last six months of writing this book, during the
2010–11academic year, I was fortunate enough to be at the Woodrow
WilsonInternational Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, a true
haven forresearchers. I would like to express my gratitude to the
Center for givingme this wonderful opportunity, and special thanks
are due to RobertLitwak and Haleh Esfendiari. The exemplary service
at the Center’slibrary under Janet Spikes was an invaluable
resource, and many of theCenter’s scholars, with their different
specialties, stimulated my thinkingby an exchange of ideas, for
which I am grateful. I benefited greatly fromMartin Dimitrov’s
friendship and intellect, which led to a new project oncomparisons
between the Ba�th regime and Bulgaria under communism.
I owe a special debt to the many Iraqis whom I interviewed. They
weregenerous with their time, patient in explaining the inner
workings of thesystem, and willing to share their personal stories,
and I owe them aspecial debt of gratitude. In particular, I thank
Lieutenant General Ra�adal-Hamdani and his family for their
hospitality; they became friends inthe course of writing this
book.
Others helped me in different ways, and I would like to
acknowledgeDina Hussein and Anne-Laure Malauzat for their help in
the researchfor secondary material. Virginia Myers deserves special
thanks for herskills in editing the manuscript. My editor at
Cambridge University Press,Marigold Acland, accompanied this
project from its nascence and offeredvaluable advice, and I am
grateful to Joy Mizan, senior editorial assistant,for her attentive
and caring service. Laura Wilmot did an excellent jobcopyediting
the manuscript despite a tight schedule.
Friends and family were a constant source of encouragement and
sup-port. My lifelong friend Terry Somekh was always ready to
discuss theproject. My mother continues to be inspirational with
her love and care.Living in Washington, DC, added the extra bonus
of being near mydaughter Rachel, who witnessed this project from
the start and whoseencouragement means a lot to me.
Last but not least, I would like to thank Helen Jackson for her
love,patience, and willingness to devote an endless number of hours
to helpingme, especially with the tables, footnotes, and
bibliography, when thismanuscript was in its final stages. There
are truly no words to express mygratitude, and this book is
dedicated to her.
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Note on Transliteration
Transliteration has been kept as simple and as consistent as
possible. Ihave used a modified system of transliteration according
to the Inter-national Journal of Middle East but have eliminated
diacritical and longvowel markers with the exception of the �ain
(�) and the hamza (�). Forthat reason the three Arab letters of
dhal, dhad, and dha� are written as dhfor simplicity. Arabic names
and geographical names that have enteredinto English were kept as
such to make it easier for the general reader.
xiii
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List of Abbreviations
BRCC Ba�th Regional Command CollectionCRRC Conflict Records
Research CenterGDP gross domestic productGFIW General Federation of
Iraqi WomenGNP gross national productHRW Human Rights WatchID Iraqi
dinarIIS Iraqi Intelligence ServiceIPC Iraq Petroleum CompanyKDP
Kurdish Democratic PartyNIDS North Iraq DatasetOPEC Organization of
the Petroleum Exporting CountriesPUK Patriotic Union of
KurdistanRCC Revolutionary Command CouncilSRG Special Republican
GuardSSO Special Security OrganizationUN United Nations
xv
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Glossary
amin sir secretary generalal-amn al-�am General Securityal-amn
al-�askari Military Securityashbal Saddam Saddam’s Cubsasir murtadd
turncoat prisonerasir mutamayyiz distinguished prisoner of warasir
samid steadfast/loyal prisoner
baba Saddam Daddy Saddambay�a pledge of allegiance
diwan presidential offices
fida�iyyu Saddam fedayeen Saddam (those who are willingto
sacrifice themselves for Saddam)
al-fi�at al-�umriyya the age structurefir�, firu�
branch/branchesfirqa, firaq division/divisionsfutuwwa Youth
Organization
al-hamla al-�imaniyya the faith campaignal-haras al-jamhuri
al-khass Special Republican Guard (SRG)al-haras al-qawmi National
Guardal-himaya special presidential protection unithizb al-Ba�th
al-�Arabi Arab Ba�th Socialist Party
al-ishtirakihizb al-Da�wa Da�wa Party
xvii
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xviii Glossary
ikramiyya bonusimtiyazat privilegesintifada uprisingintima�
membershipintisab affiliational-istikhbarat al-�askariyya General
Military Intelligence
al-�ammaittihad al-Saddamiyyin Union of Saddamists
jaysh al-quds the Jerusalem/Quds Armyal-jaysh al-sha�bi the
Popular Armyjidariyyat muralsjihaz al-amn al-khass Special Security
Organization (SSO)jihaz al-mukhabarat Iraqi Intelligence Service
(IIS)
al-�Iraqiyyajihaz hunain former intelligence and security arm
of
the Ba�th Partyjil Saddam Saddam’s generation
al-kasb al-hizbi party recruitment
madrasat al-i�dad al-hizbi Party Preparatory Schoolal-mafariz
al-khassa special squadsmajlis al-amn al-qawmi National Security
Councilal-makatib al-�askariyya military bureausmakatib
istishariyya consultancy bureausmaktab amanat sir al-qutr Party
Secretariatal-milad al-maymun the Auspicious Birthdaymu�ayyid
sympathizermudiriyat al-harakat Directorate of Military
Logistics
al-�askariyyamujahidin strugglersmukarram veneratedmukhtars
mayorsmunadhammat al-munadhilin Organization for Party
Veteransmunadhammat al-sabirin Organization for Party
Pensionersmurafiq adjutant or aide-de-campmurashih
candidatemuta�awan collaboratoral-mu�tamin the trusted one (a term
used for
informers)
al-nashat al-watani the national activity
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Glossary xix
nasir supporternasir mutaqaddim advanced supporternawt
al-istihqaq al-�ali Badge of High Esteemnawt al-shaja�a Badge of
Bravery
qadisiyyat Saddam euphemism for the Iran–Iraq War
of1980–1988
al-qa�id the leaderqanun al-tahajjum Law of Assaultal-qiyada
al-qawmiyya National Commandal-qiyada al-qutriyya Regional
Command
raqaba sha�biyya popular surveillanceriddat tishrin the apostasy
of November 1963
al-saff al-watani national alignmentsafhat al-ghadr wa
al-khiyana the page of betrayal and treachery
(euphemism for the 1991 intifada)shahadat al-jinsiyya
certificate of nationalitysharat al-hizb Party Insigniasharat umm
al-ma�arik Mother of All Battles Insigniashu�ba, shu�ab section,
sectionsshu�bat al-istikhbarat Section of Military Intelligence
al-�askariyya
taba�iyya Iraniyya Iranian nationality or original-takafful
al-hizbi party responsibilityal-tali�a the Vanguardstandhim,
tandhimat structure, structurestardid al-qasm oath
reiterationtawjih fikri intellectual guidanceal-thaqafa al-�amma
general cultureal-thaqafa al-hizbiyya political education
�udhu �amil active member�udhu fir� branch member�udhu firqa
division member�udhu mutadarrib apprenticed member�udhu shu�ba
section memberumm al-ma�arik Mother of All Battles (term for the
First
Gulf War)
waqf, awqaf religious endowment, usually of landwasaya al-ra�is
commands of the president
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xx Glossary
wisam al-rafidain Medal of the Land of the Two Rivers
yawm al-nakhwa Day of Military Trainingyawm al-raya Day of the
Banneryawm al-shahid Day of the Martyryawm al-zahf al-kabir Day of
the Big March
al-za�im al-awhad the sole leader
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PersianGulf
Shattal Arab
Euphrates
Ti
gri
s
Tigris
Euphrates
Karbala
Najaf
Al-Anbar
Duhok
NinewaArbil
Al-Ta’mimSuleimaniyya
Diyala
Salah al-Din
Babil
Al-Muthanna
Basra
MisanAl-Qadisiyya
Wasit
Dhi-Qar
KUWAIT
SAUDI ARABIA
JOR
DA
N
SYRIA
TURKEY
IRAN
Baghdad
Karbala
Falluja
Najaf
MosulArbil
Kirkuk Suleimaniyya
Samarra
Ba’quba
Tikrit
Basra
Kut
Diwaniyya
‘Amara
Dokan
Gamgamal
Fao
Shaqlawa
‘Oja
Shorsh
Halabja
AbuGhraib
Samawa
50
50
0
0
100 Kilometers
Prepared by Chris Robinson.100 Miles
IRAQ
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